People who are good at making bread have never dabbled in Chinese steamed buns. Firstly, it is because steamed buns can be bought at any time, and secondly, because Chinese pastries are passed down by word of mouth, unlike Western ones, which are quantitative and have no texture. People have no feeling at all about the right amount of old noodles, the right amount of starter, and the right amount of alkali.

I steamed pot after pot, met with success countless times, kept experimenting, kept learning, and finally made steamed buns as white as snowflakes and with pulses.

Ingredients recipe calories: 1805 (kcal)

Main ingredients

All-purpose flour 100g

Instant dry yeast 1.4g 1.4g

Method/Steps

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1 Stir all the ingredients for the old noodles into a dough. Do not stir for too long. Place the kneaded old dough into a fermentation basin and ferment in a warm place for about 12 hours.

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2 The fermentation time required at different temperatures will also be different. The fermentation time shall be determined when the old noodles are in the shape of soft dough and the surface and interior are filled with bubbles. This is the state after fermentation.

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3 Tear the old dough into small pieces and mix with the main dough ingredients until it starts to form a ball. Until the dough is elastic and in three light states - surface light, hand light, and basin light.

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4 Place the kneaded dough into a fermentation basin, cover it with a damp cloth (to prevent the dough from drying out), and ferment in a warm place for about 30 to 60 minutes. Let the dough expand to 1.5 to 2 times its size.

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5 Place the fermented dough on the workbench and knead it by hand for 5 to 10 minutes. The holes in the dough will be small and even, which will make the dough more delicate. Cover the kneaded dough with a damp cloth and place it indoors to rest (ferment in the middle) for 10 to 20 minutes. The dough will become soft again.

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6. Press the dough: Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangular shape (the length is about 3 times the width).

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7. Fold the upper 1/3 of the dough downwards, and then fold the lower 1/3 of the dough upwards. If you see small bubbles when pressing the dough, use a deflated rolling pin to remove them. Repeat pressing 8 to 10 times until no bubbles are visible on the surface of the dough and the skin is fine.

You can also use a dough press to press five or six times until there are no air bubbles

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8. After pressing the dough, divide the dough into four parts. Then roll each piece into a 15cm*25cm rectangle. Sweep excess flour off the surface of the dough. Roll out the dough about 2cm thin on its own and brush with water so that the dough will stick together more easily.

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9. Roll the dough from the top to the bottom, and slowly roll the dough into a cylinder while integrating the shape with your hands. When rolling, try to roll it as tightly as possible, otherwise the dough layers will separate from each other.

Gently knead the dough on both sides until it is about 28cm long. The thickness of the dough should be the same. Use a knife to cut the dough into equal sizes.

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10Put the wet bean bag cloth in the steamer basket and put the dough in the basket (there should be some distance between the dough and the dough). You can also use a knife to cut the dough into the same size, roll the dough tightly into a round shape.

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11. Cover the pot and perform final fermentation for about 20-30 minutes. Allow the dough to swell slightly, press it lightly with your hands and then slowly spring back. The expansion should be about 15, but should not exceed 1/4.

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12 Place a piece of cloth inside the pot lid and start steaming: put cold water in the pot, set the heat to medium, and steam for about 9 minutes starting from when the hot water boils. When cooked, turn off the heat and wait 5 minutes before lifting the lid.

END

Notes

A few points to pay attention to when making Wudi handmade steamed buns

1. You can add oil and sugar to the steamed buns. The finished product will have a softer, sweeter texture and a shiny surface. But if you like chewy steamed buns, don’t add sugar and oil.

The proportion of sugar is about 5-15

2. The water in the dough can be replaced by milk or soy milk. In winter, the liquid material should be heated until it is not hot to the touch and does not exceed 40 degrees; in summer, use cold water or soy milk. Ice milk. After the dough is mixed, the temperature should not exceed 28C and should not be lower than 20C (yeast will die at 50 degrees, and if the temperature is too low, the yeast will be less active).

3 When making steamed buns, the ratio of flour to water is 2:1. This is the most common and basic ratio. Different brands of flour will have different gluten and water absorption, so the amount of water should be flexibly controlled. Just like the principle of making bread, a little moisture should be reserved first. When mixing the dough, slowly add the remaining water according to the softness and hardness of the dough. After mixing, the steamed bun dough should be softer than the noodle dough and harder than the bun and dumpling dough.

4 The oil used to make steamed buns cannot be colored or have a strong flavor, such as: olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil.

5. Steamed buns that have undergone basic fermentation will be softer and more elastic, but if you want to save time, you don’t need to do basic fermentation. If basic fermentation is not done, then the steamed buns do not need to knead the dough and can just relax the dough.

6 Regardless of basic fermentation, intermediate fermentation, or final fermentation, do not over-ferment. Too short or too long will affect the subsequent processes and the appearance, taste, and internal structure of the finished product.

7 Regardless of the basic fermentation or the final fermentation, it should be carried out in a warmer place as much as possible. In summer, room temperature is sufficient. In winter, you can use a fermentation box or place it next to a heater. Or boil some hot water in a pot for fermentation.

8 The surface of steamed buns kneaded in the middle will be smooth, with fine texture, and the texture will be more elastic and the color will be whiter

9 If you use a stainless steel steamer, it will drip easily. , you can cover the inside of the pot lid with a layer of absorbent cloth.

10. Never use hot water when steaming steamed buns.

11 When steaming steamed buns, the heat should not be too low or too high. It is best to use medium-low to medium-high heat.

12. Don’t rush to open the lid. Open it after 5 minutes because the temperature inside the steamer is much higher than room temperature. Due to the principle of thermal expansion and contraction, the surface of the steamed buns will collapse.

13 The steamed buns begin to age as soon as they are steamed. If you are not eating them right away, it is best to cool them down and store them in the refrigerator (no more than two days). You can also put the cooled steamed buns in a sealed plastic bag and freeze them.

The reason why the steamed buns are not perfect

The color of the steamed buns is not as white as those sold outside

You can use milk or soy milk instead of water

Use old noodles The steamed buns sold outside will be whiter in the finished product

The steamed buns sold outside use a large dough press, which is very powerful. When making steamed buns at home, you can use a small dough press or rolling pin to roll and press the dough, and you can still make steamed buns with a milky white color.

Adding a small amount of baking powder to the dough can also make the steamed buns white in color, but it will lose its bite.

The surface of the steamed buns is not smooth enough

The finished product will be smoother and more delicate if the steamed buns are made with old noodles or Chinese noodles.

The fermentation time should be appropriate and not too long. This includes basic fermentation, intermediate fermentation after kneading, and final fermentation

The dough pressing time must not be too long, especially in summer, it should not exceed 10 minutes, and if it is winter, it should not exceed 20 minutes. .

When steaming steamed buns, use cold water

When steaming steamed buns, do not use high heat, otherwise the skin will collapse and wrinkle.

If the surface of the steamed bun is smooth, it means that after basic fermentation, the dough was not kneaded properly to press out the air bubbles in the dough

If the surface of the steamed bun is not smooth, it means that it has been over-fermented. (Including basic fermentation, intermediate fermentation after kneading, and final fermentation) and/or the pressing time is too long

The surface of the steamed buns is a bit uneven before steaming, and the surface is wrinkled and slightly collapsed after steaming.

The fermentation time is too long, which includes basic fermentation, intermediate fermentation after kneading, and final fermentation

The pressing time should not be too long, especially in summer, and should not exceed 10 Minutes, if it is winter, do not exceed 20 minutes

The surface of the steamed buns is very smooth before steaming, but the surface collapses and wrinkles after steaming

The heat is too high when steaming the steamed buns, next time Turn down the heat

When using a stainless steel steamer, because it is too tight, the temperature inside will be too high. Therefore, it is best to wrap the steamer lid with gauze to let it ventilate, and you can see steam coming out of the side of the steamer. And this can also prevent moisture from dripping on the surface of the steamed buns.

Lift the steamer lid before the steamed buns are cooked

After steaming, do not lift the steamer lid immediately. Let it sit for three to five minutes before taking out the steamed buns.

Why is the internal organization of steamed buns not very tight and meticulous?

After basic fermentation, you must knead the dough to press out all the air bubbles in the dough.

Use a dough press or rolling pin to roll the dough repeatedly. If you are using the rounding method, your gestures should be correct and the dough should be tightly rounded.

After the steamed buns are cooked, they taste sticky to the teeth

The steamed buns are not steamed yet, so you need to increase the steaming time next time

The steamed buns are not steamed thoroughly and the heat is too high

This is an over-fermented steamed bun. Both the basic fermentation and the final fermentation are excessive. The color is dull, the taste is sour, and the texture is rough.